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Rihanna and cutie: Look who was talking dirty to me, read her caption

UPDATE Pop Superstar Rihanna Does Wrong By Cuddling Endangered Thai Cutie

Saturday, September 21, 2013
PHUKET: Animal activists are likely to be angry at pop princess Rinanna for posing with a slow loris - something tourists are being asked to never do because the animals are endangered.

The cute, big-eyed creatures are protected in Thailand, where using them in photo opportunitites like the shot that Rihanna took is regarded as abuse.

The cuddly creatures have their teeth pulled and are cruelly treated just so unthinking tourists will pay money to have a souvenir shot taken with them.

What's worse is that it's Loris Awareness Week, with a campaign beginning to save Thailand's lorises from tourists like Rihanna and their mean, mistreating owners.

Epicentre of the loris horror show is in Phuket's west coast holiday hub of Patong, where Rihanna most likely took her own photo, and probably had to pay a tout to shoot it.

Police are supposed to make sure that the lorises are cleared from the tourist walking street, Soi Bangla, where transgender ladyboys in revealing costumes also gather to ask tourists for cash for photos, even if the tourist is a superstar.

A Phuket project has just begun with animal activists trying to raise the first $5000 for a rescue centre for the lorises.

Slow Loris Awareness Week was going along slowly - until Rihanna posted her ''selfie'' on Instagram along with other shots of her petting elephants and with ladyboys in the background.

The cuddly loris critters often die in captivity from too many tourist cuddles and mistreatment by owners only interested in making money.

The manager of the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre, where volunteers also now hope to set up a similar centre to save the lorises on Phuket, said today: ''Rihanna is a celebrity and lorises are protected animals.

''Now that she has posted this photograph, her fans are likely to want to come to Thailand to do the same thing. This needs to stop,'' said Pamorn Samoantamit.

''We are trying to get people on board to save these creatures through Loris Awareness Week, especially people at resorts on Phuket.

''We don't bother going to Patong because these loris touts are protected, even though the animals are not. The touts are protected by 'mafia.'

''Lots of police in Patong see these animals being mistreated, and do nothing. The people mistreating the lorises just keep coming back, night after night.''

The chief administrator of the Kathu District, Veera Kerdsirimongkol, oversees Patong. He said today: ''We try every now and again to raid these loris touts. But most of the time, we have little success.

''As soon as we head towards them, they are tipped off and disappear from the streets until we have gone.''

Rihanna's experience is likely to put tourism in Thailand in a different light for many. One of her twitter comments reads:

Either I was phuck wasted lastnight, or I saw a Thai woman pull a live bird,2 turtles,razors,shoot darts and ping pong, all out of her pu$$y

Whoops, there goes Phuket and Thailand's family tourism reputation.

Comments

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her posting a pic with her and a slow loris is the best thing that could happened. why? coz this news getting world wide and might make DSI to pull action to end it.... dont blame her... thank her.

Posted by frog on September 21, 2013 13:23

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Damn the three P's pulling down Thailand tourism again, Phuket, Pattaya and pu$$y. Before it used to be the three C's, but that you can dream up yourself.

Posted by DuncanB on September 21, 2013 13:36

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Since the announcement of a crackdown on Slow Loris's several months ago their numbers have only increased, and they are spreading to other areas. They can now be seen on the streets in Kata and Karon as well. The person behind the Bangla Rd. loris touts is a heavy hitter in the local m****, the soi boss at soi crocodile (ladyboy soi) who pays local police well to look the other way and to warn him when raids are imminent.

Posted by Save Phuket on September 21, 2013 13:40

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Pop star bimbos are hardly the cleverest people in society. They think their wealth gives them the right to make public statements as to how others should live.

Posted by Logic on September 21, 2013 13:51

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She does anything to get attention that's all that matters to her small brain. Insulting Thai ladies she should be banned from Thailand for 3 years that would make her think twice about going abroad and insulting people. If she does not like it visiting sex shows why did she go......

Posted by Fiesty Farang on September 21, 2013 13:54

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Maybe Thailand should prioritise taking care of it's street kids and disabled (physically and psychotically) people and give some attention to those grave problem ... taking care of soi dogs, lorises etc should be down the list, but then again they have more of a "cute" factor about them.

Posted by Sailor on September 21, 2013 15:24

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good grief Feisty, how Thai to ban criticism.

Posted by Name # 48 on September 21, 2013 17:25

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I think its good Thailand is getting this exposure. Albeit good or bad, the more people that know what is going on the more awareness there is. Someone with a status like her means millions will know what happens here and that includes the THAI Government. Maybe someone with some ball$ will do something about it, but then again it could snow tomorrow.

Posted by Tbs on September 21, 2013 19:16

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@fiesty farang : she is realistic and no matter whats she tweet or see and say , it s not a insult at all, do you think the peoples wait for rihanna say it to know the true, so relax a bit mr fiesty farang, thailand is well know for kind of , so Rihanna say or not will not change the fact , except more peoples will know loolll

Posted by Grief on September 21, 2013 20:06

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@logic well she may is smart or not at least she have notoriety thats for sure certainly more then you and me , because peoples say the true she is not clever looll make me laugh

Posted by Grief on September 21, 2013 20:10

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@fiesty farang - 1st off doubt she needs attention since she is one of the most recognizable superstars in the world and for a lady with a small brain shes indeed made a lot of money with her amazing voice. Dont see how she insulted anyone - she commented on what she saw in Phuket - like so many other holiday makers see on a day to day basis.

It is you i submit that has the small brain and clearly your eyes closed when it comes to the going on of Thai ladies at these shows.

Posted by Ciaran on September 21, 2013 20:47

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I was actually changing my mind about Thailand being a Asian back water due to the pics the were posted by Rihanna now I this article has totally reversed that opinion. I guess not much has changed in Thailand in the last 100 year. Stupid me.

Posted by demmi on September 21, 2013 22:51

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My family and I just visited Patong...well, Karon.

I am not a Rihanna fan but in all honesty, how was she supposed to know there is a ban against handling them? My family never came across any literature or ad campaign saying it was a 'no-no'. Perhaps if she knew, then she would have avoided the bad PR.

We walked down Bangla in the daytime and we damn near sprinted for the beach air. That street has alot larger issues than a little furry critter. On that note, we also skipped the ping-pong show.

The upside to her visit is now others like ourselves are aware of the lorises being endangered.

Cheers.

Posted by Concerned on September 22, 2013 06:07

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Yes I have to agree with Frog, it is a blessing that she posed and posted. I recently SMSd Mr Awat telling him of the number of Lorises on Bangla ..... there must be in excess of 20. Poor little critters

Posted by geoff on September 22, 2013 08:58

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I think it was good that Rihanna got to get her photo taken with the furry little critter. Maybe now somebody might just sit up and take notice of there plight and actually do something to stop their suffering. But as long as somebody gets tea and kickbacks, I am not holding my breath that the practice will be stopped.

Posted by Robin on September 22, 2013 09:53

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@Fiesty Farang So what part of this story was untrue? The fact that local police continue to ignore the plight of the slow loris, makes it nonetheless real. the "ping-pong shows" that also don't exist, actually do. Rhiannas' following and fame will ensure this story receives global publicity - to me that's good, what was previously easily deniable, will now be more difficult to deny. as for her needing publicity, I very much doubt it, pay you tube video of "stay" has received more than 185 million hits!

Posted by terry on September 22, 2013 09:56

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@Concerned

besides the endangered part, doesn't say the common sense, that critters like this wouldn't need to live in a a busy nightlife area, if people wouldn't pay for pictures with them?
Or flower/chewing gum selling 5-10 years old could go to bed, insted of selling till 2 or 3 am, if people not would buy, or more stupid, would tip them, instead of buying?
If the common sense isn't developed so far, in the developed countries, former known as first world, how can it be expected, that developing countries, former 3. world, will ever understand, that money is not everything?
It's a magic circle, isn't it?

Posted by Anonymous on September 22, 2013 11:38

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I do not like her using "Thai woman". That was a sex worker or if you want a 'full body artist'... It has a unfair and nearly racist slur to it, to bring the nationality into play. Just think if she would have written "African american woman".
But then again, 31 million followers and such senseless tweets... how could I expect nuanced tweets by a chick on I-OWN-THE-WORLD trip visiting a sex show. Good only, she's getting old and old news fast.

Posted by Lena on September 22, 2013 12:12

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@Anonymous.

I think I understand what you are trying to say...but if you want to compare "developed" vs "developing" practices, I suppose the difference is actually the majority of citizens of developed countries have recognized some issue (endangered species, kids out alone at night, bribery, etc) and they have created codes and rules and laws to make such practices illegal, and here is the kicker...they then enforce those codes, rules and laws and apply penalties for breaking them.

And crocodile tears, or nepotism, or bribery don't get the offenders a free pass. Therein might lie the difference you have mentioned.

Cheers

Posted by Concerned on September 22, 2013 18:21

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Is this the quality tourism everyone is looking for?

Posted by Hanuman on September 23, 2013 00:13

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@Terry: "you tube video of 'stay' has received more than 185 million hits!"

Yes, but that's more likely because of her showing her tits and bum in the bath rather than her voice.

Oh dear, that's another few hundred "hits" she's going to get.

Posted by Buster on September 23, 2013 14:52

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As to image of Thailand or question of nationality, I would claim in the eyes of many tourists (coming from Russia for example) Thailand has two sides. First side is associated with Thai prostitutes, cheap drugs and lady-boys, and other side associated with beaches, exotic food and beautiful nature. Everybody just choose on what side to spend his holidays. If Thailand wanted to preserve some choosen image, it had to solve its problems long time ago, not to try put them under carpet.

Posted by Stranger on September 23, 2013 15:17


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